April 11, 2021 Easter 2

 

Hymn     This Joyful Eastertide #177VU

Scripture Lessons:  Acts 4:32-35

                                Psalm 133 p. 856VU

                                 I John 1:1-2:2

Meditation

Song Every Morning is Easter Morning

Prayer: Servant Christ, help us to follow you out of the dark tomb, to share daily your resurrection life, to be renewed daily in your image of love, to be used daily as your new Body in your service to the world. Servant Christ, help us to follow you. 

Almighty God, through the rising of your Son from the grave, you broke the power of death and condemned death itself to die. As we celebrate this great triumph may we also make it the model for our living. Help us to identify in our lives all that needs to die— harmful relationships, tired habits, fruitless longings. Resurrect in our lives faith, hope, and love, as surely as you raised Jesus Christ from the grave. Amen. (prayers found in the Unired Church’s worship resource Celebrate God’s Presence.)

Hymn  #173     Thine is the Glory

Applications for the Hugh Duncan and IFE bursaries through the Nakonhaka Regional Council are now available. The deadline for applying is June 4, 2021. The applications can be found on the Nakonhaka website at www.nakonhakaucc.ca/resources or Barbara will provide you with a copy. 

“No Time for Silence” a Christian Commemoration of the Shoah will be held Sunday, April 11th at 10am online and will be led by the Rev. Rosemary Lambie and will also include Irwin Cotler as guest speaker, among others. The service will be available at www.mwuc.org. More information is available on the region’s website (nakonhakaucc.ca). 

Did you know that many members, leaders, congregations, and organizations are calling for a guaranteed basic livable income? You can learn more about it on the church’s website united-church.ca. 

A joke for Holy Humour Sunday: (from the Joyful Noise newsletter) A child asked the minister of their church, “what did Jesus say when he first came out of the tomb?” The minister answered that the gospels don’t tell us what Jesus said when he first came out of the grave. One child put up her hand and said I know what he said, he said ‘Tah-Dah!’”

Easter Sunday, April 4, 2021

 Happy Easter! May the hope and joy of this season fill your hearts and minds and lives this day and forevermore. Amen. 

Hymn:      The Day of Resurrection #164VU

Scripture Lessons:    I Corinthians 15:1-11

                                   Psalm 118:14-24

                                   Mark 16:1-8

Message

Prayer:  Jesus, you are risen! You are with me. Keep me ever mindful of how you are a part of my life in a deep and profound way. Surprise me with a touch of your love in places where I never thought that I would find you. Fill my heart with hope. May the gift of your presence transform every ordinary moment of mine into a sacred place where you dwell. Help me to see this gift through the eyes of Faith. Fill me with your peace. Amen. (from Joyce Rupp’s May I Have this Dance)

Hymn:   Jesus Christ is Risen Today #155VU

Benediction:May the love of the cross, the power of the resurrection, and the presence of the Living Lord, be with you always. And the blessing of the Eternal God, Creator and Sustainer, Risen Lord and Saviour, and the Holy Spirit, Giver of Holiness and love, be upon you new and evermore. Amen. 

There will be a drive-in service for Easter Sunday, held in Howick at 11am. Communion will be served, with the elements provided. The frequency for the service will be 87.7 on the FM dial. There will be some seats inside the church for those who may have trouble receiving that frequency. All welcome. 

Good Friday, April 2,2021

 

Hymn.    Go to Dark Gethsemane #133VU

Prayer: Holy God, who has opened our ears to hear your Word and our lips to proclaim your truth: open our eyes this day to see in the cross the revelation of your love; through Jesus the Crucified, to whom with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, be honour and praise, now and forever. Amen. (from the United Church’s worship resource, Celebrate God’s Presence.)

Scripture Lessons:     Isaiah 52:13-53:12

                                   Psalm 22:1-21 p. 744-5 pts1, 2VU

                                    John19:17-30

Message

Prayer:  O Saviour of the world, we praise you again for the victory of the cross and for your work, now finished. You have done for us what we could never do for ourselves, and what we did not deserve you to do; and you have done once and for all. Through your perfect and all-sufficient sacrifice sin is conquered, death is destroyed, humanity is redeemed, and heaven is opened. To God be the glory for ever and ever. Amen. (a prayer by Frank Colquhoun printed in Contemporary Parish Prayers.) 

Hymn     There is a Green Hill Far Away #152VU

There will be both an Easter blog and an Easter service, to be held in Howick. The plan is for a drive-in service to be held on Easter Sunday, April 4th at 11am. There is some room inside, if necessary, but it is planned as a drive in service. Communion will be served with communion kits provided. All welcome from all 3 congregations. 

Sunday, March 28, 2021 Palm Sunday

 Today we begin our journey through Holy Week. We will be holding a drive-in service in Ormstown today (Sunday) at 11am and next week in Howick, an Easter Sunday drive-in service, also at 11am. 

Hymn     Hosanna Loud Hosanna #123VU

Scripture Lessons:      Philippians 2:5-11

                                    Psalm 118:19-29 p.837 pts 3 & 4

                                    Mark 11:1-11

Message

Prayer:  Holy God, you come to us in Jesus, a poor man, riding on a donkey; we thank you for this witness of the power of love, despite the powers of this world. We thank you for all who have withstood evil, who have suffered the jeers and worse of the crowds, who have been tormented, even put to death, and still refused to use the weapons of hatred. We thank you for the times we have been able to let go our defences, give up control, and live with open hands and hearts. We thank you with “hosannas” and with joy in our hearts, in the name of Jesus, our leader. Amen. (from the UCC’s publication, Celebrate God’s Presence).

Hymn       My Song is Love Unknown #143VU

Best wishes again to Joyce McKell who celebrated her 100th birthday this past week. Congratulations, Joyce on a good life well-lived. 

We will be holding drive-in services this Sunday and next. This Sunday, March 28th we will be holding a Palm Sunday at St Paul’s in Ormstown at 11am. The frequency on the radio dial will be 87.7FM. 

Next Sunday there will be a drive-in Easter Sunday service at the Howick United Church on April4th at 11am. The frequency will probably be the same. All are welcome at both of the services. 

There will be blogs for both Good Friday and Easter Sunday next week as well. One way or another, we will celebrate Easter! 

There will also be a Good Friday service led by the Moderator of the United Church of Canada offered to all members across Canada. It can be found on the United Church’s YouTube channel, youTube.com/unitedchurchofcanada at 9:30am on April 2nd. If possible, you are invited to bring a glass of water, a flower, and a candle to the service. 

Sunday, March 21, 2021 Lent 5

This weekend marks the beginning of spring. I hope this will indeed be a season of new life, new light, and new hope for all people. May we continue to celebrate that hope as we prepare to mark Holy Week and celebrate Easter once again. 

Hymn   As Comes the Breath of Spring #373 VU

Scripture Lessons:      Jeremiah 31:31-34 

                                    Psalm 51:1-12 p.776-7VU

                                   John 12:20-36

Hymn     What Wondrous Love is This #147VU

Message

Prayer:  God who dwells within, God who is in good times and in bad, we turn our hearts again to you and we proclaim: nothing can come between us and your love for us, even if we are troubled or worried or being persecuted, or lacking food or clothes, or being threatened or even attacked. 

     We can grow through difficult times because of this power of your love at work in our lives. For we are certain of this: neither death nor life, no angel, no prince, nothing that exists, nothing still to come, not any power, no height or depth, nor any created thing, can come between us and your love which has been made visible in Jesus. We lean upon you and we offer you our thanks. Amen. ( a prayer by Joyce Rupp, published in May I Have This Dance.)

Hymn    My Faith Looks up to Thee  #663VU

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Gordon Brooks, who died last week. A memorial service will be held, hopefully, in the spring. 

The plans now seem to be set: we will be holding a drive-in service in Ormstown on Palm Sunday, March 28th at 11am. Please plan on driving to the church, parking in the parking lot, and listening to the service on your car radio. The Easter Sunday service will be held in Howick in the same way, at 11am. All are welcome to either or both services. There will also be an additional blog posted for Good Friday. If the numbers continue to be good here in Quebec we may be able to plan in-church services in the spring. 

There will also be a Good Friday service led by the Moderator for the whole United Church. It will be posted on the United Church YouTube channel. It can be seen at 9:30am EDT on Good Friday, April 2nd. 

If you are attending, you are invited to bring with you a glass of water, a flower, and a candle. 

While you attend the service, you can also pick up a copy of the annual report. We will have them available on the day. They are also available from Barbara or in the church on request. 

I have not heard from anyone about the offer to hold a Zoom activity (sometimes known as Messy Church) for families and children. Shanna Bernier, the regional youth and family ministries staff person would help me to lead this. If you know of people who would be interested, please let me know by phone or email. Barbara

March 14, 2021 Lent 4

 Did you pause to remember those we have lost in the pandemic on Wednesday? Hear some bells ring? Light a candle? Attend on online service? This week we mark a year of this pandemic and all of the challenges and changes it has brought to our churches and to our communities, country, and world. Thank you to all who have continued to be faithful in so many ways. 

Hymn     I’m Gonna Live So #575VU

Scripture Lessons:       Ruth 2:1-13

                                     Psalm 107:1-9 p. 831VU

                                     John 3:16-21

                                     

Hymn        Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life #681VU

Message

Prayer:  O God, as we pause to remember and reflect on the past year of the pandemic, we give thanks for your sustaining strength, power, and wisdom throughout these pandemic days. 

As we reflect on the lives of people of faith, ancient ones like Ruth, all the way to faithful people of today, we give thanks for the difference they have made and the example they give. Help us to learn from them. Help us to be inspired and encouraged by them. We pray for your Spirit to guide us in the living of faithful lives, now and in the future. 

As we continue our journey through the season of Lent, we pray that the story of Jesus, his life, his ministry, his death and resurrection, his faithfulness and his good news, will continue to inspire us to live to live lives of faithfulness and loving kindness. May we find the courage to live in his light and his way, now and always. Amen. 

Hymn      Take My Life and Let it Be#506VU

Easter is getting closer! Keep in touch so we can let you know our plans for Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter. We hope to have plans made before too long. At the moment, it looks like we may hold a drive-in service at St Paul’s on Palm Sunday (March 28th) and another at Howick on Easter (April 4th). Keep in touch, we will let you know when things are confirmed. 

We have been saddened to hear of Ruth Graham Petch’s death this past week. We give thanks for her life and good works and hold her family in our thoughts and prayers. 

Please remember Joyce McKell’s 100th birthday, on March 23rd. There cannot be a party but everyone is invited to send a card to her at La Source Bleu. The address is Joyce McKell c/o La Source Bleu, 1575 Rte 201, Ormstown, QC, J0S 1K0. Let’s let her know how much she is loved and appreciated! 

The annual reports are now ready. You can get Howick’s from the church or from Evie or possibly Mac or I can get one to you. If you are looking for Ormstown’s and Franklin’s, you can give me a call or find one in the church. 

Sunday, March 7, 2021 Lent 3

 

Tomorrow is International Women’s Day. What are you going to do to celebrate? 

This Friday was also the day we usually held a World Day of Prayer service. This year’s service was prepared by the Vanuatu World Day of Prayer Committee on the theme of Build a Strong Foundation. The service is available on line and I have shared some places on Facebook where it can be seen. If you wish to make a donation to this organization to support their work supporting social justice projects in Canada and around the world, you may do so online at w.Wicc.org or by mailing a cheque to The Women’s Inter-Church Council of Canada, 47 Queen’s Park Crescent East, Toronto ON M5S 2C3. Or you can just drop off a donation to Evie Kerr and she will collect them and send them in. 

Hymn     In the Cross of Christ I Glory

Scripture Lessons:    Exodus 20:1-20

                                  Psalm 19 p.740VU

                                  I Corinthians :18-25

Hymn       Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross #142VU

Message

Prayer: When I survey the wondrous cross....

I am reminded of those who suffer, who suffer in body and mind and spirit, and those who suffer and sacrifice for the sake of others.

When I survey the wondrous cross....

I am reminded of the forgiveness, faithfulness, and redeeming love of God. 

When I survey the wondrous cross...

I dare to believe that God is with us in the worst of times, and shares our grief and pain with us. 

When I survey the wondrous cross....

I dare to hope that God will lift us up again, to new life, new light, and new joy. 

Help us, O God, to remember that the cross can mean so much to us, in all the times and places of our lives. Help us to follow in Christ’s way, even if it leads to the cross on the way to the empty tomb. Amen. 

Hymn       When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

Last week Shirley and Tom Vandor celebrated their 50th anniversary. Congratulations to you both! 

We were sorry to hear this week that Wally Ryan has died. We hold his wife Linda Janes and his family in our hearts and prayers. There will be no service at this time, but we hope to be able to celebrate Wally’s life at a later date. 

The Confirmation Class will continue to meet. The classes begin at 1:30pm and are held on Zoom. This week participants are asked to bring a Bible to the class ( and maybe even read some of it!) 

The annual reports are now ready. Some are in the church and others can be picked up from Barbara (Ormstown and Franklin) or Evie Kerr (Howick).

Joyce McKell will be celebrating her 100th birthday on March 23rd. We won’t be able to give her a party, but we can send her a card. They can be sent to Joyce McKell c/o La Source Bleu, 1575 Route 201, Ormstown, QC, J0S 1K0. (Taken from Facebook)